Grow closer

Grow closer

Today’s expression is “grow closer.” There are a few ways to use this expression, but the one we’ll talk about today goes like this. When a big event is approaching , we say it grows closer. This is a strange one because the event in the future doesn’t move; we’re the ones moving through time.

So for example, on December 20, then December 25, then December 27, then December 30, we say the end of the year is growing closer. I know this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense : the end of the year is always December 31. The end of the year isn’t moving! But still, that’s what we say. A big date is “growing closer” when the time is approaching.

We often use “grow closer” to talk about preparations for a big event. In mid-2022, I calculated that we would hit Plain English lesson number 500 at the beginning of September. As the date grew closer, we started to make more and more preparations for that milestone lesson. First, we made a plan. Then, we started the publicity. Then, we put up some decorations . Then, we tested the technology . So we say “as the event grew closer,” or as we were getting closer in time to the event, we made more and more preparations. And you can watch the final product at PlainEnglish.com/500 .

I am not watching any of the Prince Harry-Meghan Markle documentaries , interviews , reality shows, whatever, and I am not going to read the book. Relations between Prince Harry and the rest of the British Royal Family are frosty at the moment . King Charles III will be officially coronated on May 6, 2023. That is the ceremony officially making him King, even though he is the King now.

My guess—and it is only a guess—my guess is that as the coronation grows closer, the two sides will begin to reconcile a little bit , so that there’s a little more family harmony for the coronation. That is only my guess. Things are not looking good now. But as the coronation grows closer, I expect the freeze in relations to thaw a bit .

In the World Cup, a game is 90 minutes of regulation time . If the game is tied , an extra 30 minutes is added. France played Morocco in the semifinals of this year’s World Cup. France scored its first goal five minutes into the game; it led 1-0 for most of the game. Then in the 79th minute, France scored again, to make it 2-0. This was the 79th minute of a 90-minute game. As the end of the game grew closer, fans knew Morocco’s chances were slim . Still, they cheered for Morocco. The crowd was cheering “Viva Maghreb” even as the end of the game grew closer. It didn’t matter that Morocco was about to lose: they wanted to cheer for the only Arab team left in the tournament .

Quote of the Week

Today’s quote of the week is from a Russian composer , Dmitri Shostakovich. He said, “Football is the ballet of the masses.” Shostakovich was a soccer fan and wrote a ballet that followed a Soviet soccer team touring Europe . So this ballet composer said this about his favorite game: “Football is the ballet of the masses.”

See you next time!

And that is all for today’s Plain English. On Thursday, we’ll talk about the choice of Qatar—why it was controversial , but also why it might not be as bad a pick as everyone is saying.

That’s on Thursday. Between now and then, remember that you can get the full lesson at PlainEnglish.com/536. And if you’re really serious about upgrading your English here in 2023, consider joining us as a Plus+ member. That’s the best way to use these lessons to really get better at speaking, vocabulary, writing, and listening. You can get all the details at PlainEnglish.com/Plus.

See you Thursday!